Found Deceased MT - Meghan Rouns, 27, horseback riding, horse found, phone found in saddlebag, McMaster Hills Rec Area, NE of Helena, 4 Oct 2024 *Active Search*

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Not sure about Montana but on the East Coast it's been a horrible season for ground wasps. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if the duo ran into a nest of something and went to the water instinctively. I've been on a pretty bombproof horse that understandably lost his mind when he stepped into a nest on a trail.
 
I am a lifetime rider and have been on hundreds of trail rides. ALWAYS wear a helmet. Have fallen off when a deer spooked my horse, but horse went a small distance and stopped. We also swim our horses! If there is a creek or stream we let them drink and often they walk in circles pawing the water - some try to lie down in it.
ANYTHING can happen on a trail ride. Even the steadiest horse can trip, get spooked or bolt. That is why I stopped trail riding alone.
 
bestill said:
And this is why after I sold my horse I said "I will never ride anything with a brain again", seriously! So we bought a boat.
Click to expand...
People get killed on boats and by boats as well. Id definitely choose riding something with a brain opposed to something mechanical. Horses sense things we can't, I'd much rather have a horse be alert to near by dangers, just always be prepared for something to happen. Yes I have and ride horses, so do my children and I have a boat as well, I spend way more time on horses than boats. Forming a bond with a horse is so much more enjoyable. MOO..

Anything can happen at any given time, whether it be on horse, on a boat, in a car, walking down a street or jogging a public trail, just be aware at all times even then it may not always be safe. Life is filled with dangers can either enjoy it to its fullest or hide from dangerous situations. To each their own. IMO
 
I think the sheriff is mistaken about how the horse ended up in the water. Horses rarely if ever would spook into a body of water. Also, if the water entry was due to a spook, the horse, upon climbing out, would bolt back up the trail from whence it came. Instead it wandered around in a normal grazing pattern according to the recorded track.

The investigation pics of the entry point show a pretty low and flat bank. I can easily imagine (and the track suggests) MR stepping the horse down the bank at least to take a drink if not also asking it to step in if its a shallow area.

Track showing the horse grazing nearby after climbing back up the bank:

Screenshot (30).png
 
The elk rut seems to have started around September and runs through October. I’ve never encountered an elk during rut season but I’ve seen videos. Mule deer rut appears to be later but I’ve encountered them on the trails in Wyoming which is startling to say the least. Come around a bend in the trail and surprise!

The lake seems to be a reservoir with a dam creating a wide spot in the hills for the Missouri River.
I found this nautical map but I’m not sure where she went in but maybe someone can overlay it to see how rapidly it gets deep.

Hauser Lake Fishing Map | Nautical Charts App

Hauser Lake fishing map, with HD depth contours, AIS, Fishing spots, marine navigation, free interactive map & Chart plotter features
www.gpsnauticalcharts.com www.gpsnauticalcharts.com

IMOO
 
Knox said:
It’s the Sun, take that with a grain of salt.

“Sheriff Dutton says the last known contact anyone had with Meghan was at about 4:20 pm on Friday when she took a picture on SnapChat. She was last known to be wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, possibly a grey hoodie and a ball cap”.

This ^^^^ is what the Sheriff said in all other news reports.
Click to expand...
How does this correlate with her location on the AllTrails map at 4:20 pm?
 
Dotta said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1843786774285258756
Click to expand...
"Authorities now believe Rouns may have been thrown off her horse amid strong winds on Friday, and fell into the river. She did not know how to swim, Dutton told the Independent.

'We believe something happened that spooked the horse to get it into the waters. We just don't know what yet,' the sheriff said, adding that he has ruled out foul play.

The sheriff went on to note that search teams uncovered her baseball cap upstream from where a GPS tracker and cellphone were found in a saddlebag, which they had used to piece together Rouns' activity through the recreation area.

'It somewhat confirms my postulation that there was a significant wind event that went through right as she got to the river's edge,' Dutton claimed.

'The hat was in the water,' he explained. 'We believe that was due to the significant winds.' "
 
Boots38 said:
People get killed on boats and by boats as well. Id definitely choose riding something with a brain opposed to something mechanical. Horses sense things we can't, I'd much rather have a horse be alert to near by dangers, just always be prepared for something to happen. Yes I have and ride horses, so do my children and I have a boat as well, I spend way more time on horses than boats. Forming a bond with a horse is so much more enjoyable. MOO..

Anything can happen at any given time, whether it be on horse, on a boat, in a car, walking down a street or jogging a public trail, just be aware at all times even then it may not always be safe. Life is filled with dangers can either enjoy it to its fullest or hide from dangerous situations. To each their own. IMO
Click to expand...
Yes, to each their own.
 
BlackholeSeason said:
"Authorities now believe Rouns may have been thrown off her horse amid strong winds on Friday, and fell into the river. She did not know how to swim, Dutton told the Independent.

'We believe something happened that spooked the horse to get it into the waters. We just don't know what yet,' the sheriff said, adding that he has ruled out foul play.

The sheriff went on to note that search teams uncovered her baseball cap upstream from where a GPS tracker and cellphone were found in a saddlebag, which they had used to piece together Rouns' activity through the recreation area.

'It somewhat confirms my postulation that there was a significant wind event that went through right as she got to the river's edge,' Dutton claimed.

'The hat was in the water,' he explained. 'We believe that was due to the significant winds.' "
Click to expand...
Sounds as though Meghan did not purposely lead to horse into the water but that the horse went into the water because it was spooked by something. Then all that activity from the tracking where she was still on the horse and trying to control it, but couldn't and she fell off, was thrown by a sudden wind gust? into water that was too deep for her?

What a horrible turn of fate. So very sad, and she couldn't swim.
 
The tragic update includes, imo:
...Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said their efforts have shifted into more of a 'recovery phase' than a rescue mission.
Click to expand...

www.dailymail.co.uk

Tragic update in search for missing Montana woman

A Montana sheriff leading the search for missing 27-year-old Meghan Rouns, who disappeared while riding her horse provided a tragic update on Tuesday, as deputies continued to scour a body of water.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 
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